Why Mummy Drinks: The Sunday Times Number One Bestselling Author

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Ellen is a stressed-out working-mum. She's got high hopes of having a perfect life, but the gulf between her aspiration and her reality is an ever-widening chasm of chaos. I loved this book. Okay it was never ever going to improve my mind, but what it did do was make me laugh and make me laugh out loud.

Netmums (27 November 2017). "Gill Sims: My battle with postnatal depression". Netmums . Retrieved 13 June 2019. The book group liked the diary format of 'Why Mummy Drinks', comparing it to 'The Diary of Adrian Mole', but this time with a 39 year old (equally irritating and confused) mum. The characters were funny - slightly over the top but funny all the same and being a 40 something year old woman I could totally relate to the lead character in this book even down to the names she calls her husband. And… I might have accidentally tumble-dried your favourite cashmere jumper! What!’ he protested, as I opened my mouth to roar with fury. ‘At least I’m admitting it. It did cross my mind to just put it in your drawer and let you think you’d put on weight. And I’m being a good and kind and loving husband by trying to make Christmas magical, so you can’t be angry with me.’ Mummy’s carefully laid plans of perfectly figging up the pudding, while sitting by the fire reading aloud from A Christmas Carol to her rapt rosy-cheeked audience, are suddenly in tatters.Gonna stay in Thaland for xmas is a beach party to go to hope your not mad theyres just loads going on I dont want to miss will save u money on flight to see u easter x This book highlights some of the nightmares and of course the fun times parents can have with young children. It's told in a way you just can't help but laugh and enjoy it. It also highlights being a grown up, and that isn't always fun is it. Jane doesn’t think I’ve done anything right,’ I said sadly. ‘She called me a catastrophising control freak who always interferes. And anyway, I don’t want them to be resilient and independent at Christmas! Can’t they just do it for the rest of the year, and then at Christmas be overcome with their need for their darling mama and return to the bosom of their loving family, so we can roast chestnuts over an open fire and sing carols round the piano, and laugh and laugh and be merry?’

Not at Christmas! Judgy loves Christmas. He’d be furious. Opening presents is his favourite thing. And Flora is too old for kennels, and what if she dies? And Barry? Well, poor little Barry, how you can abandon Barry at Christmas?’ But Mummy does not want to go quietly into that good night of women with sensible haircuts who ‘live for their children’ and stand in the playground trying to trump each other with their offspring’s extracurricular activities and achievements, and boasting about their latest holidays. But I’m not collecting it till late on the 23rd. So we’d have to travel on Christmas Eve. Flights would be extortionate. Things would go wrong, we’d end up being those people on the news spending Christmas in Heathrow. Some bastard would make us have a singalong and talk about the Blitz Spirit to the news people.’ Verbier is only in Switzerland,’ Simon argued. Ah, Switzerland. Not France. Must remember that. ‘Even Thailand isn’t that far in this day and age. And it’s hardly forever; it’s only for Christmas!’ I was happy to get to the end. Too much use of the F word for me. Not a fan of the Diary format. “ L. Billings.I enjoyed the book. It was very funny but rather risqué. I particularly found the Easter Egg hunt and the Fire Work display very memorable. If there was a problem with the book, it was the bad language and too much information about her Sisters children's Toilet habits." Maureen. This is our chance for us, Ellen,’ he said. ‘Come on. What’s that bloody book you’re always on about, some orphan who’s irritatingly jolly no matter what happens and finds something to be glad about?’ A truly fantastic funny read. If you are a parent, overworked, Not enough hours in the day, at the end of your tether and need to put a smile on your face then this book needs reading. Its one of those books that at regular intervals you have to stop and say to whoever is nearest to you, 'ahhh just listen to this'. lol lol lol I rather tearfully regaled Simon with this Lost Vision over dinner and he said he was cancelling the Hallmark movies channel. Well, she miraculously learnt to walk again, and her joie de vivre and positive outlook caused that to happen, but she still got run over! Surely in a just world, the little girl who brought joy to the sorrowing hearts of an entire town wouldn’t get run over in the first place!’

Well it is good to know I am not the only one! This book is so true to life that it has made me feel a million times better about myself! Gills Sims has written this in a really true to life format where you empathise with the main character throughout, at no point did I feel she was in the wrong! It is Mummy’s 39th birthday. She is staring down the barrel of a future of people asking if she wants to come to their advanced yoga classes, and polite book clubs where everyone claims to be tiddly after a glass of Pinot Grigio and says things like ‘Oooh gosh, are you having another glass?’Spot on, and honest encounter of bringing up children and family life in general. Being a mother, wife and general everything. There may also be drink involved occasionally. Ok there will be drink involved and it's more than occasionally.

Well, they won’t be on Christmas Day,’ I snapped. ‘They’ll be bucolically adorable. And then you come home, cheeks a-glowing –’ Palazzo pants!’ I attempted to explain, as Simon huffed. ‘Well, why don’t they just SAY nice trousers then?’ Mummy has always loved Christmas. Sure, the kids turn into demons, the dinner gets burnt to a crisp and Aunt Louisa’s general staggering inappropriateness sends Mummy reaching for the nearest maximum-strength festive tipple, but nevertheless, for her, Christmas is always special. Most parents/couples will relate to almost everything in this book. And I had just read the chapter about getting the little ones ready for school before I woke my little one up, and no matter how organised you try to be there is always something you are racing around the house looking for at the last minute.However, the book group did find themselves concerned that drink seemed to be the answer to all of the central character's issues; as a fairly middle class person this mum is the acceptable face of drinking and being drunk. But, if the central character was instead a working class mum, single parent, with no job, then would it seem to be so funny...we doubted it.